Should I use profanity in mature scripts?

Pinkarray

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I'm writing a tv show that has offensive content like drugs, sex, and gore and is an overall dark show since I'm intending for it to be for teenagers and up. I was wondering if it needs profanity since it's a mature show and people may expect profanity in it but I don't care much for using profanity. Do you think I should use profanity whenever necessary?
 

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As with anything, if it works, do it. If it's within a particular character's vocabulary and speech, use profanity.
 

indianroads

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I'm writing a tv show that has offensive content like drugs, sex, and gore and is an overall dark show since I'm intending for it to be for teenagers and up. I was wondering if it needs profanity since it's a mature show and people may expect profanity in it but I don't care much for using profanity. Do you think I should use profanity whenever necessary?

Need? No. Whether you use profanity depends on the character speaking. Under stress most everyone curses at least a little - but for some people profanity is sprinkled everywhere (outlaw bikers and those in the military seem especially prone to this). I would never throw profanity in for its own sake though.
 

Brightdreamer

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You alone know if your story needs profanity, though I, for one, would find it odd for a "dark" story that delves into sex, drugs, and gore to have characters who responded to stress and frustration with nothing stronger than a hearty "oh, fiddleforks!" It might take some clever writing to make a complete lack of profanity not stand out, but it could be done. (Note that this doesn't mean every other word needs to be a curse; the sparing use of profanity gives it more impact.)
 

Marian Perera

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I'm writing a tv show that has offensive content like drugs, sex, and gore and is an overall dark show since I'm intending for it to be for teenagers and up. I was wondering if it needs profanity since it's a mature show and people may expect profanity in it but I don't care much for using profanity.

It's not about the writer's comfort level so much as it is about what suits the characters.

I don't care for smoking. Actually, I hate it. But in one of my manuscripts, the hero lights up at least three or four times, and a lack of cigarettes is the only thing that stops him from doing so more often. Smoking completely fitted his personality, so he did it.

Also, he swore like a trooper.
 

Marian Perera

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...I, for one, would find it odd for a "dark" story that delves into sex, drugs, and gore to have characters who responded to stress and frustration with nothing stronger than a hearty "oh, fiddleforks!"

Imagine Quentin Tarantino's characters trying to avoid swearing. "My name is Buck, and I'm here to fornicate."
 

starrystorm

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No. You don't need cursing to match a dark tone.

I doubt, if you do it well enough, that people will even notice the absence. At most, you can water-down the curse words to something you find more comfortable. As other mentioned though, don't make it too obvious that you are dodging swearing by making up silly words instead.
 

Marian Perera

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And that would make for a darker and more scary character.

True, but then you'd have to make sure the rest of his dialogue matched that elegant turn of phrase. Otherwise, it stands out to me as an inconsistency.

Know what effect words will have, and use accordingly.
 

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This really isn't a Basic Writing Question. It's a basic screen play writing question.

We have an entire subforum just about script writing; I'm moving this there.
 

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I'm writing a tv show that has offensive content like drugs, sex, and gore and is an overall dark show since I'm intending for it to be for teenagers and up. I was wondering if it needs profanity since it's a mature show and people may expect profanity in it but I don't care much for using profanity. Do you think I should use profanity whenever necessary?

I don't really notice much profanity, unless it's constant, so either I don't give a damn, or there isn't much of it on regular cable? TV.
Where are you planning to sell this? That's probably the big question.
How do other shows like yours, or at least other sexy, druggy, gorey shows do it?
'Supernatural', 'Breaking Bad', etc. ? I hear 'Deadwood' was well-known for swearing and cursing. But, once the novelty's gone, it loses it's shock value and then, what's the point?

If you don't like profanity, don't use it. When is it 'necessary'? It's a word choice like everything else. As someone else said upthread, though, don't make-up swears and profanity. Unless the character is trying not to swear in front of Grandma. Then, it's the character who's making up 'profanity'. Otherwise, you're just drawing attention to it.
 
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cornflake

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Where are you thinking the show would be placed? If you're thinking of broadcast tv, then don't put profanity. If you're not, then if it fits, use it ; if not, don't.
 

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Arrow does the drugs, sex, gore thing. Maybe not on the same level. For the most part, if memory serves me right, profanity is mostly left out.

EDIT: I think Gotham leaves out harsh profanity, but I forget.
 
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cornflake

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Arrow does the drugs, sex, gore thing. Maybe not on the same level. For the most part, if memory serves me right, profanity is mostly left out.

EDIT: I think Gotham leaves out harsh profanity, but I forget.

Those are both broadcast, subject to FCC regulations, so neither has profanity.
 

Pinkarray

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I don't really notice much profanity, unless it's constant, so either I don't give a damn, or there isn't much of it on regular cable? TV.
Where are you planning to sell this? That's probably the big question.
How do other shows like yours, or at least other sexy, druggy, gorey shows do it?
'Supernatural', 'Breaking Bad', etc. ? I hear 'Deadwood' was well-known for swearing and cursing. But, once the novelty's gone, it loses it's shock value and then, what's the point?

If you don't like profanity, don't use it. When is it 'necessary'? It's a word choice like everything else. As someone else said upthread, though, don't make-up swears and profanity. Unless the character is trying not to swear in front of Grandma. Then, it's the character who's making up 'profanity'. Otherwise, you're just drawing attention to it.

I was thinking it would be animated rather than live-action so maybe Adult Swim or even Netflix.
 

Enlightened

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Those are both broadcast, subject to FCC regulations, so neither has profanity.

Depends what is profane to you. B*tch is allowed on TV. Some may not find that word appropriate. Regardless, these shows get away with violence and gore without the profanity.
 

cornflake

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Depends what is profane to you. B*tch is allowed on TV. Some may not find that word appropriate. Regardless, these shows get away with violence and gore without the profanity.

Yes, all is relative. Some people don't think front hugs or women in pants are appropriate either. By profanity I meant like, George Carlin's seven dirty words.

They don't 'get away with' anything. The FCC bans what it has for decades -- obscenity, profanity, indecency, and those generally refer to visible sexual organs for prurient purpose, the SCOTUS type of obscenity and stuff like the seven dirty words. That doesn't cover violence or gore.

Broadcast is regulated in that way though, yeah.
 

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Fuck yeah! Have 'em talk the way you envisage their characters would talk, so they can express themselves. Two words: The Sopranos.

Sure, maybe whoever you pitch to will have thoughts, depending on what content their channel puts out. But that's when you tell them you can rein in the cussing if they need you to.

Imagine Quentin Tarantino's characters trying to avoid swearing. "My name is Buck, and I'm here to fornicate."
Heh, that would zing if you could come up with a character name that rhymes with "fornicate" !

-Derek